There’s a new team of robbers in town. Actually, they’ve been around for a while.
Their mission is to rob you of your joy and happiness and keep you from living a life you love.
It’s sad really, that this team exists.
“Who are they?” you ask.
I will gladly introduce you to them in hopes that when you come across this team or members of this team, you will recognize their ways and tell them where to go….AWAY!
In no particular order, here are the infamous members of the Happiness Robbers:
Negative Nancy & Pessimistic Peter-their forte is to fill you up with all the things that weigh you down. Their famous lines are, “You can’t….and It’s never going to happen…”
Worrywart Wendy-her forte is to take you away from the present moment and focus on things that haven’t happened yet but make you believe they are happening RIGHT now. Her power arises when she distracts you with anything/everything that is not taking place right now.
Perfectionist Paul-his forte is to tell you it’s not perfect yet, which prevents you from moving forward. He tells you that all you need is five more minutes, one more day, more practice, etc.
Debbie Doubter-her forte is to make you doubt everything you are doing, every choice you make, every word you say, every action you take. Her famous line is, “You’re not ______ enough”
Lack-there Lisa-her forte is to help you focus on all of the skills/abilities/relationships/things that you don’t have as well as all of the things beyond your control. She loves bringing up the things you don’t have to distract you from focusing on the things you DO have and can do.
Frank the Fearful Fanatic-his forte is convincing you that you’re going to fail no matter what you do so why bother trying. Why bother getting into a relationship? It’s going to fail. Why bother applying for a new job? You’re never going to get it. Why commit to living a healthy lifestyle? You’re just going to fuck it up. Why start a new project/business/anything? You’re going to fail.
Self-Pity Sam-his forte is to make you feel like you’re the victim. You are ALWAYS the victim. His famous lines are, “Bad things always happen to you, No one loves you, You’re a mistake, etc.”
See this team of Robbers are SMART. They know that if one alone is not powerful enough, they will join forces and come at you all at once bringing up stuff from your past, stuff in your future that have no relations to one another. They are so good in fact, that they will convince you that everything they say is the truth and will persist until you give in…..or tell them to get lost.
These Robbers have the ability to not only rob you of your happiness but also of your power, self-dignity, confidence, and energy.
The good news is, they have ZERO power unless YOU give it to them.
YOU are the gatekeeper of your happiness. You decide who enters and who remains outside.
HAPPINESS LIVES WITHIN YOU AND I. Once you realize this, it’s time to celebrate knowing that although sneaky and smart, the Happiness Robbers have NO POWER without you. You, alone, choose each day whether to ENABLE or DISABLE this team of Robbers.
YOU CHOOSE. YOUR happiness is on the line.
J.L.
*A special shout out and thank-you to Stephen Shedletzky of MasterClass Leadership for inspiring this post. You never know what may come out of random conversations!
- Ladies (and Gents) Who ________: What’s Your Legacy? - May 15, 2018
- A Letter For Every Mother - April 17, 2018
- Dear Beautiful Soul… - March 28, 2018
Amazingly done, Joann!! An alliteration-heavy bunch of Robbers you have gathered there 😉
My favourite quote at the moment is from Mark Twain and it reminds me of Worrywart Wendy:
“I have known a great many troubles, but most of them have never happened.”
I will offer one perspective. Our negative thoughts come in… I believe it is not about ignoring them of shooing them off. Rather, when that negative book falls off the book shelf, instead of throwing it back up there, take a moment and read it; acknowledge what’s going on; and then you can move beyond it. You can see that your own perceptions are driving your fear, not necessarily reality. Instead of throwing the negative book back up onto the shelf in a disorderly fashion, you can now do so calmly and neatly. There is value in acknowledging the negative thoughts and behaviours so that you can move beyond them with a refreshed positive perspective.
Naming the saboteur since 2011,
Stephen 😉